Saw-mill carriage



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

s. W. LITTLE.

SAW MILL CARRIAGE.

N0. 330,720. I Patented Nov. 17, 1885";

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. W. LITTLE.

SAW MILL CARRIAGE.

No. 330,720. Patentd Nov. "17, 1885.

V STATES AIEN'I trier;

SAMUEL WYLIE LITTLE, or IIvAIvsvILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR To EDWARD P. ALLIS & 00., or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

SAW-MILL CARRIAGE SPECIFICATIGII forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,720, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed November 19, 1884. Serial No. 149,285. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W. LITTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evansville, county of Vanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saw-Mill Carriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to log-carriages for saw-mills, and more particularly to that class in which means are provided for shifting the log clear of the saw-face in its return movement. Heretofore this object has been attained with indifferent and unsatisfactory success in various ways, among them the follow lowing, to wit: by setting the axle of the carriage-wheels at a slight angle to the carriageframe, so that the carriage rides forward by means of guides in a straight line, but on its return is free to'follow the inclined direction of the wheels. It is obvious that the carriage must travel backward a certain distance before entirely clearing the saw, and hence the object aimed at is only partially obtained and the danger of injury to the saw very slightly lessened. In other machines the saw itself has been shifted at the completion of the cut; but this necessarily involves costly and intricate mechanism, and tends to give an uneven cut in consequence of lateral movement, while in some the log has been shifted through the medium of the head-blocks, in which form the same obj ectionsthat of costly and intricate mechanism and tendency to lateral oscillation-hold good.

The objects of my invention are to provide a log-carriage for saw-mills which shall be capable of a lateral movement; to provide a log-carriage capable of a lateral movement on same parts in the several figures of the drawlngs.

v A represents the frame of the carriage, which is provided with suitable boxes and journals for reception of the axle B, the said axle being provided at its outer ends with wheels rigidly secured thereto and revolving therewith. These wheels and axles are preferably of the ordinary railway-car wheel pattern, as being the most suitable and economical; but any suitable wheels and axles can be used without departing from the spirit of this invention. The carriage may be of any desired length, and provided with any desirable number of wheels. It may be mounted on any rail or track, the ordinary T-rail being preferred, and operated in any well-known manner which imparts to it the usual reciprocating movement. It is also provided with a suitable head-block for reception of the log to be sawed, the head-block having the usual dogs for securing the log and gages to regulate the thickness of the boards to be sawed. The axle B is provided at a point near one of its bearings with two rigid collars, D, between which is placed a loose collar, E, to which latter is pivotally secured the lever F, the opposite end of which lever is pivotally secured to a sliding bar or rod, G. This bar works in suitable guides or bearings secured to the frame A, and may be of any length and operate upon any number of sets of levers, as hereinafter more fully described. Pivoted to this bar, at a point exactly opposite the pivot of the lever F, is the end of lever H, the opposite end of which is in turn pivoted in a line coincident with the three pivots just mentioned to a part of the frame A, as shown in Fig. 2, in such manner that when the levers are in the position shown in said figure their pivots are on a dead-center and form a lock, effectually preventing any accidental movement of the slide-bar G.

Pivoted to the slide-bar G, at a distance from their pivots about equal to the length of one of the levers F or H, is a lever, I, the opposite end of which is pivoted to a-sliding bar, J, which bar lies in a horizontal plane at right angles to the slide-bar G, and slides in suit- 7 able bearings provided on the frame A.

In the drawings, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown avertical lever, J, pivoted to the frame A, and connected at its lower end to thesliding bar J, for operating the saidbar.

Pivoted to the bar J, at a point exactly 0pposite the pivot of lever I, is the lever K, the opposite end of said lever being pivoted to the frame A at a point that will bring into aline, when the levers are in the opposite position to that shown in Fig. 2, all the pivots of levers Iand K, and thus effectually lockthem in that position.

Rigidly secured to the shaft B, at a point near one of its bearings opposite to the two collars D, is a collar, L, to limit the movement of the frame A on the axle in one direction, the outer one of the two fixed collars D serving to limit its play in the opposite direction.

The operation is as follows: When this carriage has traveled forward asnfiicient distance to cut the board free from the log, the operator, who generally rides upon the frame A, reverses the lever J, which operates the slidebar S and causes it to slide to the left until all the pivots of levers I and K are in aline,which effectually locks the parts in their opposite extreme position. This bar J, being connected through lever K to frame A and also to slide-bar G by lever I, causes the bar G to slide forward, carrying with it the ends of levers F and H, thus breaking the look at that point. The slide-bar G being connected by lever F to the collar E on axis B and by lever H to frame A, as the slide-bar G moves forward it causes the outer ends of levers F and H to approach each other, and as the loose collar E bears against the rigid collar D and is prevented from any lateral movement the motion is all transmitted through lever H to the frame A, thus causing the frame to have a lateral movement limited by the collar L on the axle, but which movement is just sufiicient to permit the pivots of levers I and K to form astraight line, as hereinbefore described. \Vhen the carriage has reached the extreme of its backward or return movement, the lever J is reversed and the parts then resume their original position. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

Fig. 4 represents a modification of my invention, in which the same result is obtained without the use of the intermediate levers, I and K, and the slide-bar J.

By the use of this device, which combines perfect simplicity, cheapness of construction, and accuracy of work, great economy of time is effected, which produces aproportionate increase in amount of Work done.

In devices of this character it is essential that the return or backward trip of the carriage should be accomplished in as short a space of time as possible, and at least three or four times as fast as the forward movement, and great danger of throwing or twisting a saw is incurred when the carriage moves backward in the same line as that in which it traveled forward. My invention effectually obviates such a possibility, as the log is immetion.

diately on completion of the cut removed to a line for its backward trip sufficiently remote to prevent the engagement of the teeth wlth the log.

The carriage may be provided wlth any number of axles and wheels, and any two or more of the axles may be provided with the necessary lever-connection to commun cate the lateral movement to the frame, and the sliding bar J may be of suflicientlength to operate s1 multaneously all of these several sets of levers.

I do not confine myself to the particular device or sets of levers as shown in the drawings, as any arrangement of levers to produce a lateral movement of the frame upon the axle may be used. It will also be no departure from my invention to use a rack and pinion or a Windlass to perform the same opera- In' other words, I believe myself to be the first to combine a laterally-shiftable carriage and a lever within the control of the operator for shifting said carriage. and this I mean to claim broadly and regardless of the specific mechanism through which motion is transmitted from the lever tothe carriage.

The operation of shifting the frame may be performed by the operator, who rides upon the frame, or may be automatically performed in I any suitable manner.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The movable frame, the axle and a sliding bar, in combination with levers pivoted to the bar, axle, and frame, with the pivots of i said levers normally in alignment with each other and on a dead-center, whereby the frame is locked when in its forward position, substantially as described.

2. The frame, the axle, and a sliding connection between said frame and axle whereby the frame may be moved laterally, in combination with a transverse bar, a pair of levers pivoted thereto and to the frame and connected with the axle, the pivots of said levers being on a dead-center when the frame is at the limit of its backward stroke and thereby serving to lock the frame in that position, substantially as described.

3. The movable frame, the axle, a sliding connection between said frame and axle, and a lever-connection for actuating and locking the frame in its forward position, in combination with a transverse bar, and a pair of pivoted levers connected therewith and indirectly with the axle and a rear end portion of the frame, and having their pivots all on a deadcenter when the frame is at the limit of its backward stroke, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The frame, the axle, the collar thereon, and the bar, longitudinal bar G, in combination with a pair of levers, both of which are pivoted to the bar and one of them to the axle and the other to afixed part of the frame, substantially as described.

5. The axle and the sliding collar, in combination with the frame, the bar G, the levers F H, pivoted thereto and to the collar and frame, the bar J, and the levers I and K, pivoted to said bar and with the bar G and the frame, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The axle, the frame, and the levers I K, connected therewith, and the bar J, pivotally connected therewith, in combination with levers and between and connecting the lever I with axle and frame, substantially as described.

7. The combination, witha guiding-track, of asaw-mill carriage, its axles and trucks, and a hand-lever wholly disconnected from the feed-mechanism,connecting the carriage and its axles, and adapted to move the carriage lengthwise of the axles, as set forth.

8. In a saw-mill, the combination of a saw, a fixed track by the side thereof, and a series of trucks or their equivalents movable along the track and occupying a fixed position transversely thereon, of a log supporting frame mounted on said trucks, and a handlever pivotally connected with the frame and connected with the trucks, whereby the frame may be moved upon the trucks transversely to the line of travel of the carriage.

9. In combination with a track and a saw at the side thereof, a saw-mill carriage having its trucks mounted upon said track, and a log-frame movable upon said trucks transversely to the line of travel of the carriage, and alever connecting the movable frame and trucks and adapted to be controlled by the operator or attendant, substantially as ex plained, whereby the log-frame maybe shifted upon the trucks independently of the feed mechanism.

SAMUEL WYLIE LITTLE.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. MARLETT, JOHN MCDONALD. 

